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Plunket turns 110!

Plunket is celebrating its 110th birthday this Sunday, fittingly, on Mother’s Day.

Plunket was founded in 1907 in Dunedin by child health visionary Sir Frederic Truby King to ‘help the mothers and save the babies’.

Over a century later, Plunket’s heart is the same. To help Kiwi kids and whānau to thrive as we aim to make the difference of a lifetime in the first 1000 days of a child’s life.

Plunket’s early days saw Karitane Hospitals pop up, providing a safe and caring environment for new mothers and their babies. Plunket nurses then quickly became a vital line of support for mothers and babies throughout New Zealand, and today Plunket sees 90% of all Kiwi babies.

110 years of service

This milestone represents 110 years of Plunket, and 110 years of volunteer service. The two go hand-in-hand. There would be no Plunket without our amazing volunteers.

Our volunteers work to connect communities, support families, and provide community services whilst fundraising to make all of this possible.

Plunket’s evolution

Over the years Plunket has changed a great deal, and the way we work with families and whānau has adapted enormously in response to their changing needs.

From paper-based telegrams to our 24/7 PlunketLine, from hand-written records to the electronic Plunket Health Record – Plunket reflects how life in New Zealand has changed over the years, and the changes we’ve made in how we connect with parents to ensure we’re here when they need us the most.

Looking ahead to the future, Plunket’s vision and strategy guide us as we continue to adapt to the changing needs of New Zealand communities and to the changing social services funding model. With this in mind Plunket aspires to be a modern, relevant and responsive organisation that will be at the heart of the next generation of New Zealanders.

Thank you!

This is a birthday celebration for Plunket, but today we would like to celebrate our many supporters, volunteers and sponsors now and over the years, for helping us support families raising generations of New Zealand children. Here’s to another 110 of supporting kiwi families!